Since last summer, I’ve been mostly vegetarian. I eat meat on occasion, but most of the time, I’m fine without it. When I tell people that, I’m typically met with stares, growers, and some variation of “Oh, I could never do that.”

Well, yeah, you can. Cutting meat from your diet isn’t really that hard.

You just have to do it the right way.

Enter: #MeatlessMonday

Just like it sounds, Meatless Monday is a quick and easy way to transition you into a semi-veg lifestyle. All you have to do is not eat meat on Monday.

Imagine that.

When I found out about the movement, I was intrigued by the claims that even a single day each week without any kind of meat facilitated weight loss. I was skeptical, but I figured that I didn’t have much to lose–except for excess poundage. #badumching

So when the next week rolled around, I decided to give the Meatless Monday thing a shot.

And it went gloriously. It wasn’t hard, and I felt fantastic, so I tried it again the next week. And that week went gloriously.

So I started trying for, say, Meatless Fridays as well. And despite losing the alliteration, it was just as easy. Cutting out meat one day at a time was much simpler than cutting it from my diet all at once.

And when combined with the running and cycling I was doing, my weight loss was somewhat kickstarted as well.

It was awesome.

So when people tell me they can’t go veg, I ask them to try Meatless Monday. After all, it’s just one day. You’re not committing to a whole lifestyle change. You’re attempting three meals without meat. If you can do that for a while, then there’s a good chance you could go fully veg.

#MeatlessMonday Meal Plan

The hardest part about Meatless Monday is that if you’re new to the veg lifestyle, you don’t have a stable of vegetable-based recipes to draw from.

That’s okay. No one does at first. Heck, half the fun of it comes from finding new recipes all the time.

On your first Meatless Monday, I suggest the following for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and I can say it works because it’s probably very similar to what I’m going to be eating today, myself).

Breakfast: Coffee and Oatmeal. If you’re one of those “OMG PROTEIN” people, you can always add in some low-fat Greek yogurt to your oats for that added kick. Toss in some sliced strawberries or bananas–maybe some blueberries–and you’re good to go for brekkers.

Lunch: Peanut Butter and Jelly on Sourdough. I’m spoiled by the peanut butter and Snappy Sourdough bread we buy at Whole Foods. I eat it for lunch 3-5 times a week, and I love it. I feel fuller eating just this sandwich than when I bring almost anything else.

Dinner: Veggie Stirfry and White Rice. Cut up some red, yellow, and green peppers, an onion, break apart some cauliflower, maybe some broccoli and carrots, and put it all in a wok or deep skillet with some olive oil–and whatever other delicious spices you like–and let it simmer until its your rice is finished boiling. Put it all in a bowl, and #nomnomnom until you can’t eat anymore.

And if you want something afterward, there are a ton of low-glycemic and healthy dessert options for you.

So what do you say? Think you can handle one day without meat? If so, give #MeatlessMonday a try. I think you’ll find it’s a lot easier–and more delicious–than you expect.